Celtic Gypsy Campfire Recipes

One Pot Stew

2011-01-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Last night, I decided I was in the mood for making stew, so I got out a large pot, and added some butter in the bottom of the pot....then I added some boneless, skin less chicken which I had cut up into pieces.

I then added some chopped up onion and garlic; then added some chopped carrot, celery, and potato, and then added some broth.

I let it all cook together after adding some basil, oregano, and some Mrs. Dash mixed herbs mix and some pepper.

About ten minutes before it was done, I added some frozen peas and some broccoli. Simmer ten minutes more.

and Voila Serve to your dinner mates.

This was such an easy dish to make...and can be adapted to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. ... and it all cooks up in one pot, so easy to make when Vandwelling.

Enjoy :)

Blessings

Kylie

Pie Iron Recipes

2011-01-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I have posted here , but since moving out West again..I was packing up my kitchen supplies and found my Pie Iron, and it got me to thinking, it is time to get it out and put it to use again...usually I just use it when camping in the summer season, but since my friends have had a couple of bonfires in their fire pit, got me to thinking it would be an excellent way to have a hot quick meal on a winter's night while gathering round the campfire with friends drinking hot apple cider and a hot sandwich for a late night snack :)

So found this on the web and wanted to share these ideas with you!

The website is : http://www.pieiron.com/recipes.htm


	*RECIPES* The great thing about pie iron cooking is that it's easy for anyone to get involved which makes it all the more inclusive and fun when cooking in a group or with the family. Although the learning curve is slight for basic sandwiches and pies, the complexity can be taken up a notch or two for those so inspired. Every pie iron from Rome Industries ships with tips, ideas and recipes to get you started. if you want to dig deeper into Pie Iron cooking, be sure to check out the two cookbooks that we publish. Basic Instructions 1. Place slice of bread, butter side down, on lower half of cooker. Spoon fruit, meat, or other filling on center of bread (see recipes). 2. Place second slice of bread, butter side up, on top of fillings. Latch hand; trim off excess bread if necessary. 3. Toast over campfire, fireplace or bbq until golden brown on both sides. A delicious snack in 4 to 6 minutes.
	Aluma Fruit Pie Use any canned pie filling; apple, cherry, and peach are delicious. Place filling between your choice of bread as per our basic direction. Grill until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar and serve. Don's Square Pie Sauerkraut This is a favorite recipe of our Cleveland based sales rep Don Schuller. 2 slices white bread Leftover mashed potaoes (tip - when making potatoes substitute mayo for milk) Sauerkraut Shredded cheddar optional ingredients - Leftover spareribs, deboned & chopped into 1" strips. Place slice of bread, buttered side down, into cooker. Fill with ingredients, cover with remaining slice of bread buttered side up. Close cooker, latch handles and grill until toasted. Cornbread Prepare cornbread mix according to direction on package. Into a well greased cooker, fill cavity about one third with mix. Close, latch handles and bake over very low heat until done. Rocky Road Treat Spread peanut butter on 2 slices of bread. Add one large marshmallow and one chocolate bar square between buttered bread slices/ Toast in cooker until bread is golden brown. Fried Potatoes Place sliced potatoes in cooker, add butter, salt and pepper (to taste) and close. Grill on both sides over low heat. Tuna Melts Mix canned tuna fish, chopped pickle and mayonnaise. Place on slice of bread, buttered side down, and add slice of Havarti cheese and a slice of tomato. Cover with remaining side of buttered bread and grill until hot and toasty. Beef Pie Place one piece of pie dough loosely in cooker cavity, buttered side down. Add cubed, cooked beef, cooked potato slices, onions and pepper. Cover with remaining piece of pie crust, buttered side up. Close grill and latch handles. Bake for approximately 5 minutes. Pizza Pie Place slice of pizza crust in cooker cavity, add tomato puree, green peppers, slivered garlic, oregano, mozzarella cheese and top with pepperoni. Cover with second slice of pizza crust. Grill 3 or 4 minutes on each side or until desired doneness is reached. English muffins or sliced bread or pita can be used in place of pizza crust. Garlic Buns Spread inside of burger buns with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and paprika. Turn each bun inside out and place into cooker cavity. Grill until golden brown. Hot Ham and Cheese Place slice of bread, buttered side down, into cooker. Place slice of ham and slice of cheese on bread. Add Dijon mustard and cover with remaining slice of bread, buttered side up. Close cooker, latch handles and grill to golden brown. Sloppy Joes Use canned, pre-cooked sloppy joe mix or make your own mix with hamburger, barbecue sauce and onion. (Meat must be precooked.) Place mix between buttered bread and cook over low heat until hot and toasty. Bacon and Tomato Special Fill whole wheat bread with sliced tomatoes, crisp bacon, lettuce and mayonnaise. Toast sandwich for 3 to 4 minutes in pie iron. Eggs Open cooker and use as two skillets, place one egg in each side of cooker. Use cooker in closed position for scrambled eggs; add onion, cheese, pepper, and mushrooms for omelettes. French Toast Dip 2 bread slices into egg batter, place both slices into cooker, placing strawberry jam between bread slices. Toast until browned. Grilled Onions Place thinly sliced sweet Spanish onions (or Vidalia onions) into cooker cavity. Add a little celery, salt, parsley and a splash of beer. Close cooker and grill until onions are soft.

Thermos Cooking

2010-10-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Since doing lots of traveling through the years, I have enjoyed thermos cooking...I have kept my meals very simple , and I usually travel with three thermos containers...one of my thermos is for hot water, and one is for soup or stew, and one is for breakfast, either oatmeal or rice pudding.

I am going to be taking regular road trips with my new consulting work, and so am going to be using the thermos cooking method of eating again more regularly again, so did some research and found some great links.

This video gives some good reasons why thermos cooking is an efficient way of cooking for people and so thought it would be a great resource for vandwellers or folks who live a nomadic lifestyle.

Here is second video that is a great tutorial on basic thermos cooking for folk who need basic information.

Check out the following website that has some great information about thermos cooking, and shares really good tips to help a newbie with thermos cooking method.

http://www.thermoscooking.com is a great resource website and has videos and also some fantastic information.

Bacon Tomato Sauce

2010-05-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

I tried something new, well new for me...I cooked up some bacon for breakfast and had some left over, so at supper I added I added some onions, garlic, celery and tomato sauce with some herbs..and then made some pasta.

Quick and easy and oh so delicious..a different kind of flavor for spaghetti sauce.

Definitely one for the trails to use again!

Dutch Oven Blog

2009-06-25T02:01:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto a blog by Mark who does alot of Dutch Oven cooking, and shares his tips and recipes on his blog. I had read this before and was really impressed, and just rediscovered it again...definitely makes me want to go out and purchase a Dutch Oven.

Here is the link.

Dutch Oven Blog

Omelettes in a Bag

2009-04-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

Recipe Ingredients:
2 eggs

sausage, bacon, or ham

any of your favorite omelet veggies

shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Cooking instructions:

Crack eggs in a ziplock bag. Add shredded cheese. Add meat and veggies salt and pepper to taste. Put baggy in a pot of boiling water for about 5 to 10 min. Then just cut bag off and enjoy!

Variations/Hints:
You can make a western omelet with sausage, cheese and bell peppers, just add salsa. Or just veggie omelets or ham and cheese... Just have fun!!

Comments:
These are great and they come out just like a real omelet. You can make up a lot of these before hand and just throw them in the water when you wish.

Fry Bread

2009-04-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Fry bread is another word for Bannock, used mainly in the Aboriginal culture.

Here are various recipes for Native Fry Bread.

Cherokee Fry Bread
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup warm water

preheat several inches of oil, until very hotmix dry ingredientsmake a well and add water, stirring until moistadd flour by hand, kneading until not stickytake handful, spread out until flat and paper thin in middlefry until golden brown (several minutes) and flipServe with simple beans or a brisket soup.

Creek Fry Bread
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift flour,salt and baking powder then add milk and more flour to make dough stiff. Roll out onto floured bread board and cut into 4 X 4 squares with a slit in the center. Fry in hot cooking oil until golden brown. Drain on plate with paper towels.

Chick a Saw Fry Bread
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup warm milk
Stir first three ingredients then stir in the beaten egg. Add milk to make the dough soft. Roll it out on floured bread board, knead lightly. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips 2 X 3 inches and slit the center. Drop into hot cooking oil and brown on both sides. Serve hot

Bannock and Tips

2009-04-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Bannock is a versatile quick bread, similar to a baking powder biscuit. You can include extras such as raisins, currents, blueberries, cinnamon or cheese if desired.
Trivia: Bannock was favored by nomadic tribes because the dry mixture stayed fresh for long periods. They added the fat or oil at cooking time

Tip #1: Some cooks prefer to fry their bannock dough in a frying pan (cast iron is best), others bake their bannock in the oven, still others deep fry it. You can also drop spoonfuls of batter in a stew, producing something like dumplings.

Tip #2: You can also make a cinnamon bun-type goodie by rolling the bannock dough with a rolling pin, then sprinkling with cinnamon, brown sugar, nuts, etc. Lastly, roll the dough up and cut into slices. Bake at about 375-400 degree oven.

Tip #3: For a healthier version, substitute whole wheat flour or rolled oats for some of the white flour. If you do this, you will want to increase the amount of while flour somewhat to make dough sufficiently stiff.

There are many Bannock Recipes...each one slightly different depending on the region it is from, or the heritage of the people that the recipes are handed down from.
Look over the various recipes and decide which one you like .

Bannock
Recipe #1 Simple bannock
2 ½ cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tblsp lard
1 cup cold water (approx)
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the lard and mix in thoroughly. Gradually add the water (you may not need it all) and mix until the dough is thoroughly dampened, but not sticky.Knead the dough on a floured board for 30 seconds. Flatten the dough to 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 pieces, and fry in a lightly greased frying pan, on medium heat, for 12-15 minutes each side.

Recipe #2: Bannock for six
3 cups of white flour
2 cups of whole wheat flour
½ cup of bran
½ cup of wheat germ
2 tbsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
2/3 cup of shortening
2/3 cup of milk powder

Tips for making Bannock
Tip #1
There are no rules. As you can see, the two recipes listed above are quite different. Bannock is usually made from whatever ingredients you have on hand. The recipe will be altered to create the type of mixture you require, for whatever method you are cooking it. Minimum ingredients would include some type of flour, and a liquid to bind the flour together. I have eaten bannock made from just flour and water, cooked on a hot rock, in an open fire, and I found it to be delicious. However, if you took the same two ingredients, and mixed in too much liquid, you will create a great glue for paper mache. In order to make great bannock, you must practice, practice, practice. Typical bannock recipes might include ingredients from the following categories:
Flour
white all purpose, whole wheat, cracked wheat, etc…Exotic types of flour could include flour made from the roots of plants, and the inner bark of trees.
Rendered Fat
butter, margarine, cooking oil, bacon grease and lard are among the modern favorites
Baking Powder
nice if you want the bannock to be fluffy and light in texture.
Salt
a pinch will help bring out the flavors
Sugar
brown is my favorite.
Tip #2
Always thourally mix the dry ingredients, then add the fat and mix again until it is all absorbed. Lastly add the water, a little at a time, until you have a dough of the right consistency for your cooking method.
Tip #3
There are many things you can add to Bannock to alter it's taste.
flavored instant oatmeal can change taste and texture
milk, either powdered or dry, will cause the bannock to brown when baked
adding cornmeal, or rolled oats can change the texture
any sweet liquid can be a substitute for both sugar, and moisture.Some examples are corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, orange juice, Baileys, etc…
add instant coffee, or cinnamon
try adding candied fruit, brown sugar, and cinnamon for a dessert style bread.
Tip #4
Cooking methods can change both taste and texture
Baking in an oven usually produces a light, airy type of bannock
If you roast it over, or in an open fire, the bannock will pick up some of the smoke flavor of the fire.
It will absorb the flavor of any type of fat you fry it in.
If thinned out, and poured into a hot, dry skillet, you will have hot cakes
You can steam raw dough on top of any type of stew to create dumplings.
Tip #5
Experiment with different combinations of ingredients and cooking methods in order to discover which work best for you. To help you along, try some of the recipes listed below.

Australian Damper
Mix up your favorite Bannock recipe.Add dried fruit. Wrap and seal in foil,Bury it at bottom of fire for about half an hour. Extract cooked fruit bread from foil.The outside will probably be burned, and can just be committed to the flames.The centre can be removed, smothered with butter, and enjoyed.

Hot Dog Biscuits
Slice a wiener open and fill with a small slice of processed cheese.Secure the wiener to a green wood skewer.Take a piece of bannock dough in your hand, and flatten it out into a 4 by 4 inch piece.Completely enclose the wiener in the bannock, and pinch the ends tight to secure the wiener and filling.Roast over the coals, making sure to rotate it often enough to cook the bannock evenly on all sides.Cooking should take approximately fifteen minutes.For a different variation, try changing the type of filling. some possibilities are:Sauerkraut, pickles, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, blue cheese, chilli, beans, hot peppers, etc...

Bannock on a stick
When in the bush, this is probably one of the easiest ways to cook bannock, and there are no dishes to clean. You should use a green stick. The bark can be left on, or taken off, as desired, but you should try and find a stick that does not have a bitter taste to it, or the bitterness will be absorbed by the bannock. Just take a strip of bannock and wrap it around the green stick, so it looks like the stripe on a candy cane. Set up a rest so you will not have to hold the stick over the coals.

It is not very difficult to master the art of cooking this way if you remember one simple thing. The heat has to have time to penetrate inside whatever you are cooking. If you have your food too close to the fire, it will burn on the outside, and still be cold, or raw on the inside. Rule of thumb tells you to keep larger items farther away from the fire, so they will cook slower and more evenly than smaller items.

One Burner Pizza
Mix up your favorite bannock, and press into a circular shape, the size of the bottom in your skillet. Bannock should be about .75cm thick, and fairly stiff in consistancy. Place the bannock into the dry skillet and set it on top of one burner (medium low heat) and brown the underside of the bannock. You must keep the bannock from sticking to the pan by shaking the pan from side to side. (Once the bannock starts to brown, it will become easier to do this)

When the underside is cooked sufficiently, flip the bannock over. Add pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings to the cooked side, lower the heat, and cover the pan. While the bottom cooks, the cheese and toppings will heat up. When the cheese is melted, remove from the heat, and let it cool for a couple of minutes before removing from the pan.

Flat Breads

2009-04-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Indian Chapati Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup hot water or as needed

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.

Indian Sweet Flat Bread
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and water until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Divide dough into golf ball size pieces and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
Select a ball of dough and roll out until very thin but not torn. Sprinkle lightly and evenly with sugar. Fold up dough into a small square and roll out again until thin.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Place the rolled dough onto the pan and cook for 1/2 to 1 minute on each side until golden. Serve immediately. Repeat until all dough balls have been rolled and cooked.

Roomali Roti Flat Bread

INGREDIENTS
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup water

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt. Add oil and mix in with a fork until flour is crumbly. Mix in water until the dough pulls together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes.
Knead dough again until smooth; divide into six equal parts. Form each part into a round. Roll out each round as thinly as possible; dust with flour to keep from sticking.
Invert a heavy cast iron pan over burner and heat. Spread roti over pan and cook. Roti will cook in 40 to 50 seconds. Tiny black spots will appear when it is finished. Fold Roti and serve hot.

Puri Fried Flour Flat Bread Recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 pinch of salt
oil for deep frying

Method:
Knead flour with water into slightly sticky dough. Rest and cover loosely for 15 minutes. Break off golf ball-sized pieces. Dip in the flour, and roll out as Tortilla or Roti. Heat the oil in wok or Karahi. Deep fry puri until slightly brown. (To puff Puri, press down puri lightly into the oil when frying.) Drain excessive oil and serve hot with any curried vegetable.

Campfire Recipes

2009-04-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would create a Campfire Blog to share the recipes that I am compiling for my Vandweller Adventures.